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Cymbals Eat Guitars, “Definite Darkness”

Though their name suggests a mistake at the mixing board, the tinnier parts of Cymbals Eat Guitar’s kit are well-matched by their six strings. On “Definite Darkness,” those guitars start with a squealing soar, before falling back to let through singer/guitarist Joseph D'Agostino’s vocals, which are faint and faltering at first, but open up into a high, emotive “ohh ohh ohh” for the chorus, locking into harmony with his bandmates throughout. The track is nothing if not restless, as guitars go from distorted riffs to clean twang to bright, loose strums, while the rhythm section remains sturdy (with, yes, the occasional cymbal crash) and a light piano line intrudes during one hushed moment. The whole is greater than the sum of its at-times meandering parts, and the song eventually coalesces into something great and affecting. -- Eric Grandy